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I am a part time college English instructor and a shop owner. Located in Cape May County, NJ, we are seasonal, but I am open weekends year round (if the weather permits...aka snow/ice!). You can email me... dutchrose@comcast.net

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Sunday, August 10, 2014

I like things that are old and the history they bring with them. I would rather fly to Morocco on an $800 ticket and buy a chair for $300 than spend $1,100 on one at Pottery Barn."~Walton Goggins

Our opening quotation today comes from a 40 something actor and filmmaker, and I think the idea is probably more the exception than the rule in today's millennial consumer market. So many people from other areas of the country have mentioned that small shops like mine have closed, and it is possible that the brick and mortar - like the newspaper...yes, real paper - may be headed the way of the landline and the milkman. But, E-commerce continues to lure shoppers...at least shoppers who have money or credit! BUT! For those who still like to roam and see things in person instead of "pinteresting" themselves to the I-pad, let us consider some pottery. If you have been in my shop, you know that McCoy is a favorite of mine, but there is another McCoy partner...Brush Pottery.

The Brush Pottery Company was founded in Zanesville, Ohio,in 1906, by George Brush, and its early history is closely tied to a better-known name in pottery, McCoy. The first Brush Pottery lasted only a few years until it burned down, and George Brush went to work for the J. W. McCoy Pottery Co. In 1911, the two companies merged and became the Brush-McCoy pottery, and soon after, J.W.'s son Nelson McCoy founded his own pottery as well. After J.W.'s death, Nelson McCoy continued to be involved in the Brush-McCoy pottery until he resigned in 1918. The Brush-McCoy Pottery Co. was in existence for only 14 years. On December 9, 1925, it became the Brush Pottery Co. The “McCoy” name was dropped and the pottery became known as Brush Pottery, but McCoy went on to develop its own history. Brush did survive until 1982, but like so many American companies, it obviously could not survive in the Chinese dominated retail world.

In researching Brush, I found some interesting designs...like built in frogs in the console bowls - this one is in the shop

...and in Warman's guide, pictures show actual "frog" frogs in bowls!

The older pottery does have the look of the early McCoy pieces.

The company made many figural and animal planters, and not all marked, but a distinctive feature is that Brush planters and vases often rest on two unglazed feet.

So, if you are out and about and see a piece marked Brush or unglazed feet (and they are not yours), you now know a little about that company.

“Buy what you don’t have yet, or what you really want, which can be mixed with what you already own. Buy only because something excites you, not just for the simple act of shopping.”